As of May 31, 2023, we have updated our Code of Conduct.

Questions tagged [belgium]

A country bordered by France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Germany. Originally inhabited by the Belgae ;people that gave the area its name.

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
-3 votes
1 answer
132 views

Was there a Moresnet Conference of 1867? [closed]

I have been experimenting with ChatGPT today, asking questions about the Neutral-Moresnet territory. ChatGPT gave me quite a bit of misinformation about the subject. It stated for example that The ...
johannes's user avatar
  • 105
0 votes
0 answers
93 views

Can anyone identify the uniform my great uncle (child in the front of the photo) is wearing or any others in the pic?

Family photo taken on a family trip to Europe, possibly Belgium in 1918.
Denise's user avatar
  • 1
2 votes
0 answers
95 views

What was the state of the Congo in 1959?

I'm reading the Poisonwood Bible. It is about a missionary family, the Prices, who in 1959 move from the U.S. state of Georgia to the village of Kilanga in the Belgian Congo. I really have no idea ...
Daniel Adams's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
391 views

When was this picture of Ostend taken?

(I originally [erroneously] posted this on Travel SE, but it was recommended that I repost here.) I found this postcard at a flea market (in the US) and am very curious when it was taken, or if any of ...
baum's user avatar
  • 181
28 votes
1 answer
9k views

Did a unit of 40 men hold off Rommel's "ghost division" for 18 days?

I found the following baffling claim on a Wikipedia article regarding the "Chasseurs Ardennais" in World War II: A unit of only 40 men held off the combined arms of the German forces, ...
Luatic's user avatar
  • 391
6 votes
1 answer
262 views

Why are some school systems from September–July versus others that go April–March?

I've heard from colleagues and on-line sources that the Japanese school system starts the school year on 1st of April and I've heard the same used to be true in Germany. In Belgium, where I live, I ...
Vergilius's user avatar
  • 643
6 votes
1 answer
634 views

Why has the Congo ended up French-speaking but not Flemish-speaking? [closed]

Why is there hardly any Flemish linguistic heritage in the former Belgian colonies, at least at the institutional level? EDIT (Evidence of prior research): Neither the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
Tfovid's user avatar
  • 277
9 votes
2 answers
1k views

What is the title of the Magritte painting that shows a horse-headed woman looking out of a stone window?

I hope this is a reasonable place to ask this question, at least until an art history StackExchange shows up. My memory is hazy about this but I seem to remember a René Magritte painting that depicts ...
onigame's user avatar
  • 431
1 vote
1 answer
582 views

What was the age of majority in France and Belgium in 1945?

What was the age at which a child became an adult, for purposes of executing a legal document, in France and Belgium at the end of the Second World War? I cannot find a site that gives a history of ...
Berenice's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
350 views

Why was King Leopold III so hated in Belgium after the Second World War? [closed]

Did the Belgians resent him for surrendering or was it something he did during occupation? His decision to stay with his soldiers instead of flee seems extremely admirable. Wikipedia says that after ...
KoalaStorm's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
316 views

How did Belgium manage to maintain control over their colonies while they were occupied? [closed]

Belgium was occupied during both the first and second world wars. I know that the Belgian Congo gained land after WW1. And I guess the Belgian Congo had some sort of independence, but I'm not sure ...
Atesch Eltutar's user avatar
12 votes
2 answers
1k views

Did the Zone Rouge in France and Belgium make a difference in WWII?

WWI left a huge impact on the European landscape - thousands of miles of trenches, torn-apart earth mixed with unexploded ordnance and chemical weapons fallout, and other nasty surprises from the "...
SPavel's user avatar
  • 6,328
2 votes
2 answers
598 views

Why didn’t the Franco-Belgian accord of 1920 lead to extending the construction of the Maginot line along the Belgium-Netherlands border?

The Franco-Belgian Accord, which lasted from 1920 until October 1936 when Belgium declared itself neutral, included an article which 'discussed greater integration of frontier defenses' (according to ...
Lars Bosteen's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
322 views

Is there any truth to the story of a British general breaking down in tears upon seeing the battlefield conditions at Passchendaele?

An oft-repeated anecdote about World War I (and the lack of understanding among high ranking officers) claims that, after the Third Battle of Ypres (aka Passchendaele), a British general visited the ...
Wad Cheber's user avatar
  • 4,173
4 votes
1 answer
395 views

When and why was the Shinkolobwe Mine flooded and re-opened?

The Shinkolobwe Mine was the best Uranium mine during WW2. It had great concentration of uranium oxides on the order of 20% to 65%. By contrast, all other Uranium mines I've read about had ...
DrZ214's user avatar
  • 17.1k
8 votes
3 answers
1k views

Why wasn't there French irredentism or pan-fransicm?

In the period from the mid 19th century until the end of the second World War, irredentism was a very common thing. For example, before the first world war, Italy wanted to annex the Italian speaking ...
Bregalad's user avatar
  • 5,219
3 votes
1 answer
5k views

Were the English behind the creation of Belgium? [duplicate]

The other day I read an article in a printed newspaper which explained that the British had a tradition of trying to break any continental power (links to recent news is not a coincidence). Among the ...
clem steredenn's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
761 views

What do the letters "L" and "G" mean on the coat of arms of the city of Liège?

The coat of arms of Liège consists of a column (called a Perron) with lions at the base. The column is flanked by the letters L and G: What do the letters L and G stand for? My guess is a Latin ...
terminex9's user avatar
  • 1,326
16 votes
2 answers
14k views

Spanish Influence on the Netherlands and Belgium?

Spain had ruled the Netherlands (and Belgium) in varying degrees between the 16th and 17th centuries. However, I haven't noticed much of a cultural influence or impact with historical roots in Spanish ...
Cicero's user avatar
  • 486
2 votes
0 answers
649 views

Why was "Belgium" Anglicized as such? [closed]

The country of Belgium derives its name from Gallia Belgica, the Roman province. This led to "België" in Dutch, "Belgique" in French, and "Belgium" in English. Why was the Latin word Anglicized this ...
user avatar
17 votes
4 answers
3k views

How were the British and French armies invited into Belgium in 1914?

In August of 1914 Belgium refused entry to the German army, which then invaded Belgium. Apparently Belgium then invited the British and French armies into its territories, leading to Belgium becoming ...
Tyler Durden's user avatar
  • 37.7k
3 votes
2 answers
255 views

What was the meaning of Auguste Delfosse's statement "La liberté française pour faire le tour du monde n'a pas besoin de passer en Belgique!"

Auguste Delfosse, a Belgian politician, is said to have given this statement in the Belgian House of Representatives on March 1, 1848: La liberté française pour faire le tour du monde n'a pas ...
terminex9's user avatar
  • 1,326
12 votes
2 answers
558 views

Why did 1906 Iranian constitutionalists use the Belgian constitution as inspiration?

The Constitutional Revolution of Iran in 1906 resulted in a constitution that established a parliament and a constitutional monarchy. Interestingly, it was based on the Belgian constitution. Was ...
user69715's user avatar
  • 7,042
6 votes
1 answer
575 views

Why was the Le Chapelier law annulled in Belgium?

The Le Chapelier Law was an important law in Belgium, as it implicitly disallowed the proletariat from associating, or organising a strike. As the parliament at the time (1864) was dominated by the ...
Jeroen's user avatar
  • 163
3 votes
0 answers
174 views

Which is closer to Old Dutch? [closed]

The Dutch dialects spoken in Belgium and the Netherlands are diverse, but if a general statement can be made, which, as spoken today, is closer to the root of the language?
Deathkill14's user avatar
6 votes
3 answers
18k views

Why did Germany attack Neutral Belgium in the first world war?

I have a basic idea about the Schieffen plan and I know that Germany attacked Belgium in the First world war. But I am slightly confused about this topic, as despite the fact that the schieffen plan ...
clickonMe's user avatar
  • 1,053
8 votes
4 answers
2k views

Why does the monarchy of Belgium still exist after Leopold 2?

I was browsing the internet and came across the post Which Dictator Killed the Most People. It seems that Leopold 2 had a lot of people killed. This got me thinking, I don't see for example heirs of ...
Olivier_s_j's user avatar
19 votes
5 answers
18k views

What led to the creation of Belgium?

Why was Belgium created as opposed to grouping the Fracophone Walloons and the Dutch-Speaking Flemish with their respective linguistically similar neighbor countries; France and the Netherlands?
user avatar